~ image ~ Sedja with a snapshot from Sprite of Van Demonian and the Ross Bridge display
Today we look at one very intriguing historic mystery concerning an 1836 stone bridge with carved art upon its arches that simply should not exist.
Tasmania is the island State of Australia and was once a notorious destination for convicts, when the place was the British penal colony called Van Diemen's Land.
One felon who escaped the noose in England for highway robbery, Daniel Herbert, was sent out for the term of his natural life in 1827 and put to work in his trade as a stonemason.
In 1830 the township of Ross needed a new bridge for traffic north and south over the island and a convict gang began work, but no bridge was built, as the materials kept disappearing into the local construction industry.
Convicts were treated like slaves, sometimes in chains, often whipped and free settlers saw it as their natural right to enjoy the fruits of convict labour.
In 1833 the former ruler of Iceland, Jorgen Jorgenson, was sent to Ross to solve the bridge thieving spree, but was met with a solid wall of silence and still the bridge did not get built.
Unable to contain the free radicals of colonial private enterprise, in 1835 Daniel Herbert was offered his freedom, if he built the bridge.
No worries, mate ~ the bridge got built, was duly opened in 1836 and began its long life as a working bridge, which continues to this day.
But two historic puzzles remain concerning the Ross Bridge to taunt any Sherlock Holmes of historic investigations. The first mystery concerns the 186 stone carvings along both sides of the three stone arches.
All who have read the historic documents, whether government decrees, letters or diaries, will tell you that there is absolutely no mention of any carvings on the bridge.
The colonial government was very anxious for this bridge to get built, as it was years over-due and the last thing that they would want is any further delay with a vitally important upgrade of the main road running north to south across the colony.
Other than occasional keystones, carvings were never made on the arches of stone bridges, making the Ross Bridge the only one in the world to have them.
So why would anyone allow convicts to chisel very elaborate carvings, when the main task was to get the bridge built?
As if that were not enough, there is also a mystery about the meaning of the carved stones. Some have claimed that it is Celtic art, but it doesn't look like any Celtic art that can be found.
Maybe one day someone will solve this double-banger mystery.
Maybe.....
Here is a recent article on the mysterious Ross Bridge ~
Ross Bridge Display ~
For anyone keen to see more and unable to fly to Tasmania just yet, there is a Ross Bridge display in the Tasmanian Heritage room on the lower level of the Sky Gallery above the island of Sprite in the virtual world called InWorldz. Call in and examine the mystery and if you wish, help solve it. Enquiries can be sent to the historian in InWorldz, Van Demonian ~
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